John f



(N-n Model.)

J. P. MAINS.

MAIL SACK DROPPER.

Patented Mar. 3,181.

J OIIN F. MAINS, OF INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR OF THREE-FOURTHS TOBRUCE CARR, HARVEY M. LA FOLLETTE, AND EDIVARD J. ROBISON,

ALL OF SAME PLACE.

MAIL-SACK DROPPER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters latent No. 447,470, dated March 3,1891.

Application filed July 10, 1890. Serial No. 358.292. (Nomodeh) To allwhom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN F. MAINS, a citizen of the United States,residing at Indianapolis, in the county of Marion and State of Indiana,have invented a new and useful Improvement in Mail-Sack Droppers, ofwhich the following is a specification.

My invention relates to an improved device for dropping mail-sacks froma moving rail- IO way-train.

The object of my improvement is to provide means for securely attachingthe mailsack to the outer end of the swinging arm mounted in the doorwayof a mail-car and adapted to extend laterally therefrom, and means fordisengaging the sack from the arm at any desired point along the roadwhile the train is in motion, all as hereinafter fully described.

The accompanying drawings illustrate my invention.

Figure 1 is a plan of the dropping-lever having the top plate removed.Fig. 2 is a section at a, Fig. 1, with the top plate in position. Fig. 3is a View in perspective showing the device in operative position on amail-car.

A is a lever adapted to be pivotally mounted on a stud B, secured to thedoor-jamb C of a mail-car, so as to swing in a vertical plane thereon.The outer end of lever A terminates in a hollow casing D, having aremovable top plateE and having near its outer end in its under side atransverse slot F.

G is a sliding bar mounted in casing D so as to slide longitudinallytherein, and arranged to extend across the slot F. Bar Gis provided witha broad shoulder H, and is held normally outward, so as to extend acrossslot F, by a spiral spring I.

J is a T-shaped trip-lever mounted on a pivot k in casing D, so as toswing laterally thereon in either direction. Lever J engages with itsshorter end the shoulder ll of bar G, and its longer end projects fromthe outer end of the casing, being held normally central and in linewith lever A by spring I.

For the purpose of automatically swinging lever J during the passage ofa mail-car on which the device is'mounted, I erect at the side of theroad a mast L or some other suitable obstruction, arranged so as to bein the path of the outer end of lever J when lever A is extendedlaterally from the car. The shorter end of lever A forms a handle m,Fig. 3, which projects within the car and is tem- 5 porarily engagedwhen the lever is extended by a pawl n, attached to the car-door jamb O.

In operation lever A hangs normally vertically from stud B along theside of the car. lVhen approaching a station atwhich a mailsack is to bedelivered, the agent on the car swings lever J to one side, thus forcingbar G backward and compressing springl and leaving slot F in casing Dclear. The ring of the mail-sack, (shown in dotted lines at 1), Figs. 1and 2,) is now inserted in slot F, and leverJ being released bar G isforced forward by the recoil of the spring across slot F and through thering 19, thus securing the sack to the dropping-lever A. Lever A is nowswung by the agent to a horizontal position, as shown in Fig. 3, thussuspending the sack at a distance from the side of the car sufficient toprevent it from being drawn upon the track when released. Thedropping-lever is held in its extended position either by the agent orby pawl 9?. until lever J comes in contact with the post L or itsequivalent, when the lever J is turned to one side by the movement ofthe car. Bar G is thereby withdrawn from the ring of the mail-sack, andthe sack is allowed to fall either to the ground or into a specialreceptacle connected witha mail-sack crane, which forms thesubjectmatter of another application for a patent filed of even dateherewith, and which therefore need not be here explained.

I claim as my invention 1. In a mail-sack dropper, the combination of adropping-lever pivoted to the car so as to swing thereon in a verticalplaneand arranged to be extended laterally from the car, said leverhaving a transverse slot formed near its outer end, a bar arranged toslide across said slot and adapted to enter the ring of a mailsack, anda trip-lever pivoted to said droppinglever so as to swing in a plane ata right angle to the plane in which the dropping-lever itself swings onthe car and proj ecting beyond the end of the dropping-lever, saidtripping- 10o sliding bar, and is discharged therefrom by The contact ofthe trip-lever with a post dur- :5

ing the movement of the car, as set forth.

3. In a maiLsaek dropper, lever A, having easing D and slot F, sliding;bar G, having shoulder II, spring I, and trip-lever J, all

combined and arranged to eo-operate sub- 20 stantia-lly as set forth.

JOHN F. MAINS \Vitnesses:

II. P. 1100]), "V. M. Noon.

